Tag: Houston

HOUSTON -- For Houston Texans quarterback T.J. Yates, the starting job that eluded him for years is firmly within his grasp. Yates will start his second consecutive game Monday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Texans head coach Bill O'Brien affirmed that Yates will remain the starter. He didn't officially rule out quarterback Tom Savage for the remainder of the regular season, but emphasized that he's a "ways off" in terms of being cleared under the NFL concussion protocol. Yates is hoping to upgrade his performance and production significantly after the entire offense struggled during a 45-7 road loss last Sunday to the Jacksonville Jaguars. In his first start in two years, Yates was sacked four times and hit nine times overall as he completed just 12 of 31 passes for 128 yards with one t...

HOUSTON -- James Harden scored a game-high 31 points and Chris Paul produced 23 of his 25 points in the second half as the Houston Rockets extended their winning streak to 13 games with a 115-111 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night at Toyota Center. Paul had just two points on 0-of-5 shooting before the intermission but opened the second half by drilling three consecutive 3-pointers. He was just as lethal down the stretch, nailing back-to-back mid-range jumpers off screens to lift the Rockets (24-4) to a seven-point lead with 33.7 seconds left. Houston improved to 14-0 with Paul in the lineup. The Rockets struggled from the perimeter throughout but produced timely 3-pointers in the clutch. Harden hit a 3 through a foul and completed a four-point play with 5:42 left before Tr...

HOUSTON -- Houston Texans inside linebacker Brian Cushing returned to NRG Stadium on Tuesday as his 10-game suspension for violating the NFL performance-enhancing drug policy ended. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell officially reinstated Cushing from his suspension. The Texans were granted a one-week roster exemption that expires Dec. 4. He can be activated at any time. Whether he will return to play this week is still being determined. The former Pro-Bowl selection and NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year is in outstanding shape and fully healthy, according to a league source. Cushing met with Texans head coach Bill O'Brien on Tuesday. O'Brien suggested that the Texans are in no rush to get Cushing back on the field and will evaluate his conditioning levels and readiness to play again. "He's bee...

An astronaut on a spacewalk was forced to return to the International Space Station after mission control decided his jetpack was not safe.Joe Acaba was five hours into a six-hour maintenance operation on an exterior robotic camera, when Houston decided the handles on the safety unit had "popped out" once too often.The jetpack itself is a back-up safety measure, designed to be used should any or all of the astronaut's multiple "tethers" work themselves loose.Image:International Space Station crew member Joe Acaba was making adjustments to an external camera when Houston advised him to go back insideThere is no suggestion that this had happened, but mission control's prime concern was for the safety of their colleague.Joe Acaba, a teacher-turned-spacewalker, had already accomplished most of...

BOSTON -- The Houston Astros kept Boston's champagne on ice and also kept their own hopes for home-field advantage throughout the American League playoffs alive with a 3-2 decision over the Red Sox on Friday night. Houston's second straight win over the Red Sox kept Boston's magic number for clinching the American League East at one, with the New York Yankees winning earlier in the day to stay alive. Still, one Boston win or one New York loss and the Red Sox have their second straight AL East title. The Astros remained one game behind the Cleveland Indians for the league's best record, a deficit that was in reality two games because Cleveland owns the tiebreaker thanks to a 5-1 season series win. Alex Bregman had an RBI single and two-run homer among his three hits and Charlie Morton (14-7...